Hello everybody
Just after some advice on travel insurance. We’re looking at a trip to the USA (2 adults, 2 teens), and obviously need to get some decent travel insurance in place. Our house insurance agent once told us not to bother to come to him for travel insurance to the US as it’s too complicated and expensive! I think things have changed since as people are travelling further afield from France, so would be interested to hear of any of your experiences and recommendations.
Thanks.
What about your bank?
Max out your medical cover as anything other than a visit to CVS/Riteaid for a bottle of Tylenol can cost you the national debt of Lithuania.
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Try Staysure Expat, we used them for all our US holidays.
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Banks are usually lousy people to get insurance from as they are a) not insurance specialists and b) offer insurance as an add-on to banking that earns commission for themselves.
Going to a proper insurance broker or a company that specialises in travel insurance is the way to go IMHO.
And yes for the USA you want top-notch medical cover that includes repatriation expenses.
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Be aware Sam many travel insurance policies aren’t worth the paper they are not written on. I’d recommend not using an intermediary, bank, airline, whatever because the commission they receive can be very high, as much as 80%. So you pay €100 and you get €20 worth of insurance, which has to pay for claims, admin and profit for the insurer.
Might be worth checking out Que Choiser or Which?, depending on where you are resident before buying.
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Be careful to read the small print on any travel insurance. For example most UK bought insurance requires the trip to start and end in the UK.
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Crikey O’Riley! Not 'arf!
I used to go to the US frequently for a few years in the '80s on print ad shoots. I never gave a thought about insurance. I didn’t even enquire if I would be covered by the agency.
I did have the occasional jolly after shoots, inc driving L.A. to Miami in a most unsuitable vehicle - an elderly, dog-eared Ford Pinto that had done not much more than trundle the b’vds of L.A. & Sta Monica. I never had any reason to consult a medic. I was lucky.
But 25 years later, aged 65-odd and on daily Candesartan I thought I’d better get cover.
For some unaccountable reason I passed out - totally gone - having dinner. An ambulance arrived t. de sweet. I was asked if I wanted to go to hospital. As I might have had a mild stroke or h.a. I thought I better go, tho’ I felt no more than a bit fuzzy.
The ambulance trip was 8 miles. The para-medic in the back with me did a very comprehensive set of preliminary tests. I was in a bed in I.C.U. chop-chop in a swish hospital in the distinctly up-market town of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
They ran every test known to medical science, including a video fibre-optic inspection of my heart and - bizarrely to my sceptical Brit mind - a visit from the trick cyclist. They don’t come cheap …
Of course, there was a visit from the accounts dept. The ambulance bill was the only one I saw. $800. The rest was all taken in hand by the US agent for my policy.
Three and a half days in a top-line U.S. I.C.U. and a fat dossier of tests, none revealing any issues. The bill would almost certainly have exceeded the value of my house in Bristol.
Don’t skimp.
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The home of the IBM mainframe.
And somewhere to pick your feet.
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They don’t write ‘em like that anymore.
I fully agree. My girl had her teeth cleaned by laser last friday to clear some gum infection, so far the bill is over $35,000. Luckily they have health insurance via their jobs but she will still have to pay just under 50% herself, hence why everyone has a credit card for a huge limit! Don’t underestimate medical charges in the US, people lose their homes over bills.
That’s a fantastic bill 
At that price, a deluxe trip to Spain or even UK would have come in at a fracion of that. A friend was quoted GBP11k for 5 dental implantsin UK. He and his wife went to Marbella, stayed with a friend. The wife had a lovely hols. He paid €5k.
I saw an American on TY swap costs with a UK Dr. Childbirth in UK [NHS] £0.00. In the US €30k ! And so it went on.
An American friend of mine who admits to being a hysterical, neurotic hyperchondriac moved from UK, where she benefitted from the NHS, to NYC despite having UK citizenship. Not one of her better decisions, I think.
Thanks, Shiba, but Credit Agricole are fairly incompetent when it comes to their main job of banking, so I certainly wouldn’t go near them for any type of insurance!
Thanks, Tim17. Exactly what I needed - some advice from somebody who has experience of buying travel insurance for the US when travelling from France. Just got a really reasonable quotefrom Staysure for all of the family, even with all of the extra options.
Thanks, GraemeL. Wouldn’t dream of buying the travel insurance from the UK as I don’t live in the UK, so the insurance wouldn’t be valid from the word go.
Thanks, Vero. Just had a really good quote from Staysure, but will get a quote from Axa also - encouraging that they have a section specifically for the US, and hopefully the code VOYAGE10 will offer a good discount.
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Thanks, NotALot. Have been to the US (from the UK) several times, so I know how important good travel insurance is. It’s just soooo much simpler to buy when travelling from the UK.
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Totally agree! Thanks, ChrisMann.